Heikki Kovalainen for Mclaren

Heikki Kovalainen will line up alongside Lewis Hamilton for the Mclaren-Mercedes Team 08.

In almost something looking like a swop-deal between Mclaren and Renault (which of course didn't happen since Fernando Alonso was released before Renault finally got him back without having to negotiate with Mclaren), Heikki Kovalainen will leave Renault for the Woking-based team to complete an all-rookies line-up for 2008 season.

Lewis Hamilton, the 1st runner-up for the Drivers' Championship in his debut season, was more than happy to welcome the Finnish driver on board. He hopes that the Finn will enjoy his time in Mclaren, just like he did in season 2007. Not forgetting to emphasize on the importance of teamwork, he said that both of them will be "strong and focused" in their championship chase next year.

Heikki Kovalainen, on the other hand, felt that it is an honour for him to follow the footsteps of successful Finnish drivers Mika Hakkinen and Kimi Räikkönen, both whom have won Drivers' Championships before, although Kimi Räikkönen's was won with the Scuderia Ferrari team in 2007.

Kimi Räikkönen Official 2007 World Champion After Mclaren Appeal Fails

Kimi Räikkönen's status as the F1 World Champion 2007 remains unchange as the FIA Court of Appeal ruled that Mclaren's appeal for BMW's Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica and Williams' Nico Rosberg to be disqualified from the Brazilian Grand Prix after being alleged of having used fuel at an illegal temperature.

Initially, Mclaren had launched the appeal claiming to seek clarity of the regulations, after the two teams were not penalised for using fuel at 10 degrees lower than the ambient temperature. Mclaren's lawyer Ian Mill QC then called for the disqualification of the 3 drivers and a review of the championship result.

If Nick Heidfeld, Robert Kubica and Nico Rosberg had all been disqualified, Mclaren's rookie Lewis Hamilton would have moved up a few positions and would have won the World Championship.

However, Mclaren, which are fined $50 million and disqualified from the Constructors' Championship, had no better luck in this appeal as the court ruled it 'inadmissable'.

Renault to Attend WMSC Hearing

Renault has been named the latest accuse of the spying incident on Vodafone Mclaren Mercedes.

In the earlier hearings of the spying incident between Ferrari and Mclaren, in which Mclaren was punished and stripped off all their points in the Constructors' Championship, Renault was also mentioned in the investigation results done by Mclaren. While they were not investigated in the earlier stages, they are now being called forth to attend the hearing in front of the FIA World Motor Sports Council (WMSC) on the 6th of December.

According to the official statement released by the FIA, Renault is called to the hearing based on the suspicion of having "unauthorised possession of documents and confidential information belonging to Vodafone McLaren Mercedes". Supposedly, a former Mclaren team member had passed several CDs filled with technical information of Mclaren to Renault.

Over in the Mclaren camp, the MP4-23, which is the 2008 car of the Mclaren F1 team, has began to be subjected to scrutiny by the FIA officials to ensure that the design is legal (and not in anyway based on the technical information that they had from the Stepneygate incident). The results of the FIA's findings will be published on 7th December.

Where's Fernando Alonso Going?

As the news of the release of former 2 times world champion Fernando Alonso broke out, teams are rushing to snap up the Spanish drivers, aside from Fernando's previous team Renault, Red Bull, Williams and even BMW Sauber are reportedly trying to woo him over.

Toyota was also reported to have offered the Spaniard a wonderful offer, but was turned down.

According to AS Daily, a Spanish sports newspaper, Fernando would try to secure a short deal with one of the smaller teams in order to prepare for a transition to Ferrari in the near future, when either Kimi Räikkönen or Felipe Massa's contract is over.

Over at the Mclaren Mercedes camp, where they are now short of one driver, Lewis Hamilton has given some hints on who his future teammate might be. Naming a few candidates like Heikki Kovalainen, Nico Rosberg, Nick Heidfeld and Adrian Sutil, he said that the only prerequisite is that the teammate will have to be a 'team player'.

However, things will have to be seemingly put on hold as everyone waits for Fernando Alonso's eventual decision with bated breath.

Fernando Alonso Out of Mclaren

Shocking news of the season - Fernando Alonso is out of Mclaren.

It was yet another worse-kept secrets of a very messy season. Fernando Alonso has been a long-disgruntled employee of Mclaren Mercedes, right down from the moment when he realised that he would not get to enjoy his status as Numero Uno in the British Mclaren team. Often accusing the team of favouring rookie Lewis Hamilton, Fernando Alonso has surely not made his animosity with his team a secret.

In the Hungarian Grand Prix, he threatened team principal Ron Dennis that he would go to the FIA with the evidences that Mclaren's ex-employee Mike Coughlan had information from Nigel Stepney, if Ron Dennis does not accede to his request of favouring him over his teammate. An incensed Ron Dennis volunteered to call Max Mosley (and he indeed did) to show Fernando that he was ready to see through the ultimatum set by the Spaniard.

Fernando Alonso had another 2 years of contract left with Mclaren, but now he has been ordered to leave Mclaren Mercedes wtih immediate effect. Questions will be raised - where will he go? And most importantly, who would be the teammate of wonder-rookie Lewis Hamilton next season? Williams' Nico Rosberg, Renault's Heikki Kovalainen and Honda's Jenson Button are prospective choices, but it will have to be seen if the teams are willing to let them go.

Mclaren Appeal Set on 15th November

The appeal lodged by Mclaren is set to be heard by the FIA Court of Appeal on 15th November.

Mclaren had lodged an appeal against the results of the Brazilian Grand Prix, where Lewis Hamilton, who finished 7th, lost out on the Drivers' Championship title to Ferrari's Kimi Räikkönen by just one point. It was later found out that Williams' Nico Rosberg, BMW's Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld had fuel that was below the allowed temperature (it has to be at most 10 degrees below track temperature), thereby giving them a boost in their performance (lower temperature meant more fuel stored). Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld finished 4th, 5th and 6th respectively.

If Mclaren's appeal is successful, it could mean that Nico Rosberg, Robert Kubica and Nick Heidfeld could all be stripped off their positions, thus handing the 4th position to Lewis Hamilton. Lewis Hamilton would then have enough points to beat Finnish Kimi Räikkönen and win the Drivers' Championship title on his debut season.

However, FIA president Max Mosley has played down speculations that Lewis Hamilton could be handed the Drivers' title even if the trio were found guilty.

Certainly, if the FIA decides to strip Kimi Räikkönen of his first title and hand it over to Lewis Hamilton, it would be a cruel blow to the Finn, as well as possibly cause an uproar against the FIA's decision.

Three Drivers to go Unpunished for Tyre Error

Lewis Hamilton, Jenson Button and Takuma Sato will all heave a sigh of relief as they are all not penalised for the tyre error committed during Practice 1, where they each used 2 sets of wet tyres instead of a set of wet and a set of extreme weather tyre as stipulated in the regulations.

Each team, Mclaren (Lewis Hamilton), Honda (Jenson Button) and Super Aguri (Takuma Sato) will instead be fined $15,000 euro and have a set of wet tyres confiscated. It is considered a light penalty in light of what could have been if the stewards decided to impose penalties on the drivers instead, considering that Lewis Hamilton would need all the points he can get to ensure that he gets his first Drivers' Championship, with teammate Fernando Alonso 4 points behind, and Kimi Raikkonen a further 3 points back.

Lewis Hamilton's Title Hope Hangs by a Thread

Lewis Hamilton, current leader in the Formula 1 Drivers' Championship, will be investigated after he was found to be using 2 sets of wet tires during Practice 1.

Ron Dennis admitted that it was a "100%" Mclaren's fault, and now Lewis Hamilton, for the third time of the year, will be at the centre of controversies as he faces a steward's hearing.

According to article 25.3 of the F1 Sporting Regulations: "No driver may use more than one set of wet and one set of extreme weather tyres during P1 and P2." Other than Lewis Hamilton, Honda's Jenson Button and Super Aguri's Takuma Sato are all guilty of this offence. All three will be holding their breaths to see what punishment or penalty would be meted out to them as there has been no penalties set for the breach of this offence yet.

Brazilian GP Prac 2: Lewis Fights Back

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:12.767 27 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:12.889 28 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:13.075 30 laps
04 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:13.112 30 laps
05 G. Fisichella Renault 1:13.579 22 laps
06 R. Kubica BMW 1:13.587 34 laps
07 N. Rosberg Williams 1:13.655 33 laps
08 K. Nakajima Williams 1:13.664 38 laps
09 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:13.706 30 laps
10 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:13.785 44 laps
11 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:13.829 29 laps
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:13.879 28 laps
13 R. Barrichello Honda 1:13.892 45 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:14.095 44 laps
15 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:14.152 33 laps
16 J. Trulli Toyota 1:14.179 25 laps
17 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:14.409 37 laps
18 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:14.431 27 laps
19 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:14.477 31 laps
20 M. Webber Red Bull 1:14.543 35 laps
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:15.095 35 laps
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:15.715 32 laps

Source: PlanetF1

Practice 2 saw the Mclaren duo Lewis Hamilton and Fernando Alonso topping the timesheet, a stark contrast from Practice 1 where they only managed a 5th and no-timing respectively. Kimi Raikkonen, the man who had set the pace on the first practice, managed only a disappointing 4th, behind his teammate Felipe Massa.

The session was without any rain, but the track was wet when they started, and was nearly totally dry towards the end of the session.

Renault Denies Alonso Links

French team Renault has issued a half-hearted statement denying the reports of a possible return of Fernando Alonso in 2008. Renault issued the following statement: "The team will not comment on the speculation that has appeared in the media,"

"We will announce our drivers for next season when we are ready to do so."

Fernando Alonso Set to Return to Renault in 2008?

Fernando Alonso has reportedly signed a letter of intent to rejoin Renault in 2008, with his exit strategy and contract to be worked out soon.

The Spaniard who is currently driving for Ron Dennis' Mclaren team, is still under contract with Mclaren till 2008, with the option of continuing in 2009. However, his bad blood with team principal Ron Dennis and teammate Lewis Hamilton have quashed any hope of him remaining in the Mclaren outfit next year, with his latest accusation of the team over-inflating his tires on purpose during the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session so that advantage can be given to his teammate Hamilton.

Toyota, desperate for a good break, has also indicated their interest in the current world champion by offering him "(US) $150 million for a three year deal; a comparable amount of money to that earned by Michael Schumacher at Ferrari towards the end of his illustrious career" as reported by F1-Live.

However, given the promise of the number one status in the Renault team, as well as an enticing 3-year contract and as escape route, Fernando Alonso is more likely to be joining Renault, where he won 2 world championship titles in seasons 2005 and 2006.

Fernando Alonso Quizzed by Italian Prosecutors, Discussed Contract with Renault

Fernando Alonso, who on Sunday claimed that Mclaren over-inflated his tires, has created news yet again as he volunteered information about the Stepneygate incident in a two-hour session with the Italian police.

The driver is not under any investigation, but was apparently interviewed by the Modena Magistrate Giuseppe Tibis as a potential witness to the spy incident. He was quizzed mainly about the email correspondence with test driver Pedro dela Rosa over the Ferrari information given by Nigel Stepney to Mike Coughlan.

Renault meanwhile is hard at work to attract their ex-driver by showing Fernando Alonso the details of Renault's car next year, the R28. Spanish sources claimed the he was involved in a meeting with Renault team boss Flavio Briatore and technical director Pat Symonds for a possible 2 - 3 years contract. Autopista, a Spanish magazine, also claimed that Fernando Alonso's teammate is not likely to be the underperforming Giancarlo Fisichella, who is touted to replace Williams' Nico Rosberg, who in turn will be joining the Mclaren camp in Fernando Alonso's spot.

Chinese GP Qualifying: Lewis Hamilton Takes Pole

Qualifying Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:35.908
02 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:36.044
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:36.221
04 F. Alonso McLaren 1:36.576
05 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:37.619
06 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:38.013
07 M. Webber Red Bull 1:38.153
08 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:38.455
09 R. Kubica BMW 1:38.472
10 J. Button Honda 1:39.285
11 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:36.862
12 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:36.891
13 J. Trulli Toyota 1:36.959
14 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:36.991
15 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:37.247
16 N. Rosberg Williams 1:37.483
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:37.251
18 G. Fisichella Renault 1:37.290
19 A. Wurz Williams 1:37.456
20 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:38.218
21 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:38.668
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:39.336

Source: PlanetF1

Lewis Hamilton once again convince the world why he is deserving to be the youngest world champion at his debut season, with a strong show in the Chinese Grand Prix qualifying session. Never having set a single fastest timing throughout the practices (Kimi Raikkonen took the P1 in all 3 practices), Lewis stunned the crowd with an impressive performance.

Kimi Raikkonen, on the other hand, could not match the rookie's timing and could only settle for the second spot. Ferrari's other driver Felipe Massa took the third position, while Mclaren's Fernando Alonso managed only a fourth position surprisingly, given his practice timings.

Red Bull looks set for another great weekend with David Coulthard getting the 5th position, ahead of Ralf Schumacher's Toyota, and David's teammate Mark Webber took the 7th position. Nick Heidfeld's BMW was disappointing and the German could only just manage a 8th place ahead of his teammate Robert Kubica. Jenson Button finished up the top ten position in his Honda.

FIA to Investigate Lewis Hamilton

Yet another post-race activity set the F1 world in a frenzy again.

A video taken by a spectator from the grand stand,showed the current championship leader Lewis Hamilton slowed his car down dramatically behind the safety car, which in turn led to Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel pulling up beside him, before the Red Bull and the Toro Rosso drivers collided, resulting in the end of the race for both of them.

Sebastian Vettel was later deemed guilty by the race stewards and will be punished with a 10 place penalty in the upcoming Shanghai Grand Prix this weekend.

Franz Tost, the Toro Rosso team principal, alerted the FIA to the footage in a bid to appeal against Sebastian Vettel's penalty. The incident was not caught on official race footage, but this video could prove to be a key evidence for the incident.

Hamilton was slammed by Mark Webber and Sebastian Vettel, as well as several other drivers down the field such as Jenson Button and Fernando Alonso. The lead car was supposed to keep within 5 car lengths from the safety car, but Hamilton, on several occasions, had been braking the car to almost a standstill, resulting in those behind him to bunch up, before zooming off again.

If found guilty, Hamilton could either find his 10 points earned deducted, or be demoted 10 grids for the Chinese Grand Prix, and both are not going to be beneficial in his bid to become the youngest world champion by this weekend.

Ralf Schumacher Set to Leave Toyota

Yet another of the worst-kept secrets of this crazy F1 season has been confirmed by the man himself - Ralf Schumacher, after 3 years of less-than-impressive performance, has decided to part ways with the Toyota team.

He has yet to announce where he is headed next, with no team having explicitly expressed their interest in the German driver. Ralf said that he would announce his plans at the end of this season, and has also mentioned that money will not be an important factor in his new job search.

Meanwhile, the Toyota team would be on the lookout for a new driver to replace Ralf. Nico Rosberg, from the Williams-Toyota team, looks to be a prospective candidate, but Toyota would face a fierce competition from Mclaren and any other team eager to land their hands on this rising star who has proven himself worthy (and pipped to be as good as Lewis Hamilton by team boss Sir Frank Williams) more than often this season.

But of course, now everyone will hold their breaths to see what reigning world champion (soon we probably wouldn't be using it on him anymore)Fernando Alonso would do. Renault has supposedly offered him a contract with a likely promise of the Number 1 status in the team (and probably partnering Heikki Kovalainen). If Fernando Alonso choose to take that, Renault would have to buy out the remaining 2 years of his contract with Mclaren, and Giancarlo Fisichella could be left without a job and Mclaren would be looking for a partner for Lewis.

It's all one big driver-movement circus.

Japanese GP Qualifying: Mclaren Duo Up In Front

01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:25.489
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:25.438
03 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:25.516
04 F. Massa Ferrari 1:25.765
05 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:26.505
06 N. Rosberg Williams 1:26.728 *
07 J. Button Honda 1:26.913
08 M. Webber Red Bull 1:26.914
09 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.973
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:27.225
11 G. Fisichella Renault 1:26.033
12 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:26.247
13 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:26.247
14 J. Trulli Toyota 1:26.253
15 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:26.948
16 R. Schumacher Toyota no time
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:27.323
18 A. Wurz Williams 1:27.454
19 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:27.564
20 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:28.628
21 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:28.792
22 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:29.668

* Nico Rosberg will suffer a ten-place penalty due to an engine change on Friday.

Source: PlanetF1

In the wet-weathered qualifying, nothing unexpected happened and the drivers on top are the usual suspects - Mclaren duo vs the Ferrari duo. Lewis Hamilton did a fantastic flying last lap to snatch the pole position from right under teammate/rival Fernando Alonso's nose. Kimi Raikkonen took the third position, while Felipe Massa will be lined alongside his teammate in the 2nd row of the grid at the 4th position.

Nick Heidfeld, affirming BMW's position as the third fastest car, came into the 5th position on the grid, while Williams' Nico Rosberg registered a 6th fastest timing, but due to an engine change, he will be relegated to the 16th position. Jenson Button, in a surprising strong show for the Honda team, came in 7th fastest and Mark Webber's Red Bull also did a stunning performance in the 8th position. Rookie Sebastian Vettel managed an impressive 9th fastest while Robert Kubica of BMW falls short of his expectations to come in 10th.

Japanese GP Practice 2 - Mclaren Still Contenders

Times
01 L. Hamilton McLaren 1:18.734 38 laps
02 F. Alonso McLaren 1:18.948 34 laps
03 F. Massa Ferrari 1:19.483 36 laps
04 J. Trulli Toyota 1:19.711 35 laps
05 K. Räikkönen Ferrari 1:19.714 29 laps
06 H. Kovalainen Renault 1:19.789 40 laps
07 G. Fisichella Renault 1:19.926 39 laps
08 D. Coulthard Red Bull 1:19.949 33 laps
09 R. Schumacher Toyota 1:19.969 40 laps
10 R. Kubica BMW 1:20.069 45 laps
11 M. Webber Red Bull 1:20.006 35 laps
12 A. Wurz Williams 1:20.233 37 laps
13 N. Rosberg Williams 1:20.270 43 laps
14 J. Button Honda 1:20.336 44 laps
15 N. Heidfeld BMW 1:20.462 36 laps
16 A. Sutil Spyker F1 1:20.736 37 laps
17 R. Barrichello Honda 1:20.889 33 laps
18 V. Liuzzi Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.985 44 laps
19 S. Vettel Scuderia Toro Rosso 1:20.997 38 laps
20 A. Davidson Super Aguri 1:21.007 34 laps
21 S. Yamamoto Spyker F1 1:21.305 38 laps
22 T. Sato Super Aguri 1:21.352 34 laps

Source: PlanetF1

In what seemed almost like a reversed scenario of Practice 1, Mclaren found themselves on the top of the timesheet during Practice 2, with almost half a second off Kimi Raikkonen's fastest timing during Practice 1. Mclaren was the only team in the 1:18s timings while their closest rival, Felipe Massa of Ferrari, just managed a 1:19s.

Right now the odds look pretty even, and the race could very well go either way.

Alonso to Ferrari, Massa to Toyota?

As the season nears its end, the usual speculation in the drivers' market is at full force. The latest rumour, sparked by a report on British's News of the World, Fernando Alonso, the disgruntled Mclaren driver, is said to have already negotiated a contract with Scuderia Ferrari for the next season. One thing for sure - Fernando Alonso is not likely to be staying in Mclaren. But a move to Ferrari and a partnership with the Iceman Kimi Raikkonen? Definitely this would result in a lot of sparks off and on the track as we all know beyond the Iceman façade, Kimi is not one to mince his words.

But to make way for the Spaniard, rumour has it that Ferrari's current driver Massa will be making a move to the Toyota team. According to the Daily Mail, Massa has already been engaged in preliminary talk with the Japanese team. Toyota has been reportedly fed up with the underperforming Ralf Schumacher, so they would definitely be on the lookout for a new driver. Massa, on the other hand, could possibly be worried about his peril position after Jean Todt's possible retirement at the end of this season for the return of Ross Brawn. Massa, who is currently managed by Jean Todt's son Nicholas, could find himself in unfavourable position if and when Ross Brawn takes over.

Mclaren Will Not Be Appealing For Hungary Points

Mclaren has withdrawn their appeal for the team points lost in the Hungarian Grand Prix.

During the qualifying session of the Hungarian Grand Prix, Fernando Alonso was found guilty of impeding teammate Lewis Hamilton during the pitstop. The stewards thus punished Mclaren for this unsporting behaviour by not awarding them any points scored during the Grand Prix.

In view of their oust from the 2007 World Constructors' Championship, Mclaren has decided to drop the appeal in an attempt to seek closure for the matter after the spy espionage. However, it is reported that this decision might affect the $100 milion fine sanctioned by the FIA against Mclaren as the final sum of the fine is calculated based on the team's earnings from its final standings in the championship deducted from the $100 million.

FIA Ready to Investigate Renault

Renault, which had recently been dragged into the spy espionage by team Vodafone Mclaren-Mercedes which was found guilty of breach of sporting rules, might be investigated by the FIA if Mclaren manage to produce substantial evidence against them.

Renault team boss Flavio Briatore however has insisted that the case brought forward by Mclaren against them was not related to the high-profiled 'Stepneygate'.

FIA president Max Mosley has already gotten into contact with Mclaren team principal Ron Dennis regarding their evidence against Renault, and has promised to take action against the French team if the evidence produced is damning enough. Ron Dennis on the other hand, has decided not to say anything to the press until the investigation has been carried out.